Three escape in Finger Lakes Manor apartment fire

Friday

Feb 21, 2014 at 4:20 PMFeb 21, 2014 at 4:20 PM

By Megan Brandow mbrandow@messengerpostmedia.com

A fire at Finger Lakes Manor Thursday left two people displaced from their apartment.

Firefighters responded to kitchen fire on the first floor of the apartment complex, at 190 Parrish St., around 8 p.m. Three people — two tenants and a visitor — were in the apartment at the time of the fire and all were able to escape.

Two of the occupants did suffer minor burns to the arm and face. They were treated at F.F. Thompson Hospital and released.

The fire started on the stovetop and spread to the rest of the kitchen, Fire Chief Mark Marentette told Messenger Post. The occupants attempted to smother the fire with a blanket, which caught fire, then eventually used a fire extinguisher from the hallway to combat the blaze.

“The occupants of the apartment made a valiant effort to put the fire out and were successful,” Marentette said. “The manner in which they did it gives us a chance to keep telling people about fire safety protocol.”

Marentette said it’s important to never try to move the source of a kitchen fire to the sink, but rather smother it with a lid from a pot or pan. In this case, the grease from the pan was splashed onto the counter and cabinets, which allowed the fire to spread, he said.

He also said when escaping from an apartment or home fire, it’s important to close the door to contain the flames. Smoke damage spread through the staircase of all three levels of the apartment building because the door was open.

Firefighters moved smoke and took apart the kitchen to make sure the fire didn’t spread into the wall, Marentette said. Firefighters cleared the scene by 9 p.m., Thursday.

Other apartment tenants were able to return to the building that evening, Marentette said, but the apartment where the fire took place is uninhabitable.